Silver Merit Tops Category for 2003 Hotel Website Entry

23 January 2004

Hospitality eBusiness Strategies, (HeBS), NYC, and the River Terrace Inn, Napa, CA, Driftwood Hospitality’s newest luxury boutique hotel today announced receipt of the prestigious Silver Merit Award in the Golden Click Web Awards Competition. This award, given by Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI), recognizes the very best of hospitality and travel and the top award for web design and development for 2003, goes to PREVISUAL for the River Terrace Inn www.riverterraceinn.com. The award is presented at the annual HSMAI Golden Click Web Awards Competition Gala Dinner in New York on January 26, 2004, at the Marriott Marquis hotel.

According to Denis Strekalov, PREVISUAL’s CEO, “A hoteliers’ ability to generate consumer interest in their property relies on the successful union of an e-marketing strategy and creative design. We proudly develop sites that create the hotel experience, before the guest steps foot into the hotel. This philosophy has guided our business and we are extremely proud to have our efforts with the River Terrace Inn recognized by HSMAI.”

Noted by Max Starkov, HeBS Chief eBusiness Strategist, “The Internet is the greatest direct-to-consumer distribution channel ever created. Direct distribution starts and ends on the hotel website. Many hoteliers are now beginning to appreciate how crucial is the hotel website to their overall Internet strategy. Driftwood Hospitality and River Terrace Inn clearly understand the competitive advantages of lessening dependence on online discounters and avoiding price and brand erosion. This award underscores the importance of how a creative, user and booker-friendly, visually pleasing website can add genuine value to hotel marketing and distribution efforts.”

The Golden Click Awards is the largest travel-related competition of its kind in the world and drew more than 1,500 entries from 40 countries for the 2003 contest. The Web Award recognizes the very best of hospitality and travel website design and development, where entries are judged on their overall merit and success with achieving their stated objectives, as outlined in the application. Judges are comprised of marketing, advertising, public relations and Internet professionals as well as leading members of the travel community. PREVISUAL designed the River Terrace Inn website in partnership with HeBS, eBusiness strategy consultancy in New York City, who created the overall direct online distribution strategy for the hotel.
“We are extremely pleased and proud that the River Terrace Inn Website has won this award,” noted Sam Schorr, general manager of the hotel. “We welcome our guests from around the world through a website that most effectively describes the quality of our property and the best the Napa Valley offers. We believe this important component of our total marketing strategy enhances our competitiveness and adds significant value to our marketing efforts.”——-